Nashville Mercy Home Redecorated

August 30, 2016

The Nashville Mercy home library, updated in soft grays, blues, and greens

Upon touring Mercy Multiplied’s homes located across the U.S., many visitors comment on how nice the living spaces are. When Mercy Founder and President, Nancy Alcorn, opened the first home in 1983, it was important to her that each girl who stepped through the doors of Mercy would know God’s love for her in every aspect of her life. To her, this meant building homes worthy of the “Daughters of the King.”

When it was time for the Nashville home, established in 1996, to get a stylistic touch up, Mercy Community Board member Alicia Jones offered complimentary interior design services and deep furnishing discounts. Jones is the Principal and Founder of West End Interiors (WEI), a full-service Interior Design firm based out of Nashville, TN.

We recently caught up to Jones and got the inside scoop about her involvement with Mercy and her team’s redesign of the Nashville Mercy home.

How did you get first get involved with Mercy Multiplied?

Alicia Jones, WEI Principal and Founder

After several months of researching charitable organizations to become active in, I decided to pray and put it in God’s hands. The next morning, I woke up and turned the TV on to Joyce Meyer interviewing Nancy Alcorn. I had chills and thought, “Looks like Mercy it is.” What’s even more special about this ‘fate moment,’ is that I remembered a peer in design school introduced me to Mercy Multiplied 13 years prior. She attended church next to the Nashville Mercy home. When she described the home and the services it provides, my response was, “I would love to offer design services to them someday at no cost.”  Fast forward, and that became a reality.

How did the idea for redecorating the Nashville home come about?

One afternoon after a Mercy Community Board meeting, I mentioned to the Mercy staff that WEI would be happy to assist with new furniture, design, etc. if there was ever a need for a modern coffee table they would find us the right one for example. A few months later, Rebecca Anderson, Mercy’s Administration Coordinator, reached out and inquired if we would be interested in assisting with a new design.

What made you decide to offer complimentary design services? 

The first-floor living area, where residents lounge and spend time together when not in class or counseling

Nancy’s love, dedication and passion for helping these young women are inspiring and contagious. I wanted to help in a big way, and renovating their home seemed to be the natural thing to do.

What was your source of inspiration in picking out the colors/themes for the redesign?

There are so many things that influences decisions on interior design, I was able to gain inspiration from my friends, various websites; one of which was called Hindley & Co, the environment. It plays a significant role in the psyche of those utilizing or living in a particular space. Therefore, fulfilling the psychological needs of the girls and staff was our first priority. Nancy’s favorite colors, in soothing and comfortable hues, were on target with our initial conceptual design ideas. In a preliminary design meeting, Nancy loved a particular pattern in a fabric. This pattern ended up being a key fabric in the overall design inspiration and was eventually used on four lounge chairs located in the living room. The designers spent hours researching colors, textures and styles. They took blues/greens found in nature and intensified them to create an energetic color palette. The fabric’s playful patterns and textures were paired with contemporary furnishings to balance a youthful, yet sophisticated interior. The space planning allows for collaboration and offers different zones, depending on the functions taking place. Lounge areas were designed with additional mobile seating to enable one’s movement between the spaces. Of course, we can’t take all the credit.  With the direction and approval of Nancy and Rebecca, as well as collaboration with girls from various age groups, we were able to create a cheerful and inspiring design. There were many opinions on everything from the lighting to dish vs directv for the television! Everyone came to an agreement in the end though! We thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of this project! It was easy to keep our creative juices flowing, knowing how much of a positive impact the Mercy Multiplied home has on the people who enter it and how their lives are greatly affected. We hope the design continues to enrich the experience and memories that are made in the Nashville home.

Mercy Multiplied is extremely grateful for the generosity and creative talents of Alicia Jones and her West End Interiors team. To learn more about Mercy’s homes, click here. To schedule a tour of a Mercy home, click here.